BIOS help

[Dilmah]

I have an older computer running windows XP with a Gigabyte motherboard. I started it up for the first time in about a year after lending it to my daughter and all went well, I then went to the BIOS and it was password protected. I decided to pull the battery to reset the BIOS, when I put the battery back in and started it up. The computer acts as if it wants to start but nothing shows up on the screen. The system seems to go through the drives and the lights on the CD's start. I've tried inserting the Windows disk and still nothing. I've tried, or I think I've reset the BIOS a few times but still nothing.
I assune I'll need to flash the BIOS but how is that done?

Any ideas?

[eblend]

sounds like the computer is defaulting to another video card. probably onboard if it has that. Check that, as bios will have the option to use onboard or PCI as first device, if you have more then 1 video connector on the back that would be the first thing to check, there is nothing at all flashing will do for you.

[4DoorGTZ]

Not 100% sure on that board but most of the time its a jumper that you have to move (short) AND pull the battery to reset the bios.

Sounds like the setting for on-board/external graphics has switched (if it has internal graphics) or PIC-E/PCI and is selecting the setting you dont want.

You shouldnt need to flash the bios unless you've changed something like a newer CPU.

-edit, guess I was distracted watching the flames game to type that out faster then eblend :)

[Boat]

Sounds like you fried the board. :dunno:

Quick question, what do you mean you reset the bios? Can you see the bios screen, or nothing at all?

Did you ground yourself when working on the computer?

Bend/Break any capacitors?

[Dilmah]

I have removed the video card and used the onboard card, I don't see anything on the screen, the screen is black. I'm grounded with a wrist band connected to the frame. I've tried inspecting all the wires to be sure I didn't unplug anything by mistake. All I did was pull the battery and put it back in. Then after it wouldn't start I reset the CMOS via two pins thinking that will work but so far nothing...

[Zero102]

You usually have to have the battery out while you short those 2 pins.

Also, is the PC speaker connected? If so, what beeps are you getting?

[Dilmah]

Yup, battery was out and no beeps when I start it up. I think the BIOS chip is fried

[Zero102]

Try removing the RAM and see if you get beep codes, I doubt the board is fried.

[4DoorGTZ]

If the computer loads as per normal (hard drive activity, sounds like its laboring to load windows, maybe the speakers play the opening windows sound) then the board itself aint fried, just something with the video settings or card or onboard stuff. If however it "turns on" but nothing is really happening like no HDD activity or anything then chances are the board or 1 of the main components is fubar (CPU/RAM/GPU) cuz you need those 3 for a computer to boot.

I once had a computer that after a couple years started to loose ram, yep 1 stick after another went bad. Just had to troubleshoot wich one it was and it ran fine on the remaining ones. After down to 1gb from 4gb it was time to get new ram :) Or one of my current boxes has a crack on the mobo, causing improper cpu signals. It worked for a while with the heatsink not so tight but after a while was no good either.

^in both cases the computer turns on, fans spin, hdd's "spin up" but it hung there with no HDD activity or beeps whatsoever. Basicaly if it sounds like your computer is loading windows (hdd activity) i'd say its a video prob, if it tirns on and doesn nothing its mobo/cpu/ram.

[Dilmah]

The only hard drive activity is it sounds like it's trying to boot then nothing, lights on the CD drive come on as if they're looking for a boot disk even if I put the Win XP disk in.

[Zero102]

The lights on the CD drive come on because it is performing a self test, and part of that self test is a test spin and movement of the laser. This triggers the light on the front to blink.

If you have nothing on the screen and no POST complete *beep* then putting in the windows XP disk will not get you anywhere. First you need to figure out why the POST is not completing and why it is not able to produce beep codes.

[Grogador]

Can you get into the BIOS at all, using DEL/F1/F12 or whatever? Look for a setting called "Reset configuration data" or "Reset ESCD", usually near the "PnP OS" option. If you can't get into the BIOS that is not a good sign. Try removing everything except CPU/RAM (this includes unplugging all USB devices, even the keyboard, all SATA/IDE drive leads, any headers for card readers, etc.), use onboard video then try an addon card... We can narrow this down and you can buy a BIOS chip off eBay for a couple bucks, if this board is worthwhile. What is the make/model?

[Dilmah]

So I started pulling everything off the MB, started with the video card then the sound card, finally had everything off, remved the Mb to flip it over to see if anything looked burnt on the botton, I pluged in the power t the board and it started up so I pluged in the monitor and it gave me some options and some errors along with the usual one beep. I thought it was goood and since I didn't have the kebord in I shut it down.
After putting it all back together it went back to nothing. I tried a few different things such as power off for a few minutes and remove the battery and a few times I got a long beep then nothing.

[Zero102]

Sounds like RAM to me, I have a box that does exactly the same thing, the RAM requires a higher voltage just to stay running and when I fuck up my overclock and have to reset the BIOS I have to throw in a spare stick of RAM I have, enter BIOS and turn up the voltage, then re-install my RAM and it will finally boot.

The problem is I have no idea what you are saying, from your post it says you removed everything from the motherboard and powered the board up while it was out of the case, then you plugged in the monitor and it completed POST which it couldn't if you removed _everything_ such as the RAM and CPU...

[Mar]

Take out the hard drive and boot to a Linux LiveCD, see if that works.

[Dilmah]

Sorry RAM and CPU were still in the MB, everything else was removed. I've never tried Linux before so I'll see if I can get a Linux Live CD... I'll also try to swap the RAM with my other computer and see waht that does.

Thanks forthe ideas.

[Grogador]

RAM incompatibility is a good idea. Also try running it out of the case, maybe it's shorting out somewhere once you screw it down.

[Dilmah]

Originally posted by Grogador
RAM incompatibility is a good idea. Also try running it out of the case, maybe it's shorting out somewhere once you screw it down.

Good idea, run it out of the case... However, this all started by me removing the battery and putting the battery back in but I'll try running it again out of the case.

[Mar]

Originally posted by Dilmah
Sorry RAM and CPU were still in the MB, everything else was removed. I've never tried Linux before so I'll see if I can get a Linux Live CD... I'll also try to swap the RAM with my other computer and see waht that does.

Thanks forthe ideas.
1. Go to www.ubuntu.com
2. Download 9.10 LiveCD for free
3. Burn .iso to disc
4. Put disc in drive
5. Restart computer

Takes less than 10 minutes, it's one of the first things I do when troubleshooting computers.

[Zero102]

Originally posted by Mar

1. Go to www.ubuntu.com
2. Download 9.10 LiveCD for free
3. Burn .iso to disc
4. Put disc in drive
5. Restart computer

Takes less than 10 minutes, it's one of the first things I do when troubleshooting computers.

On a computer that doesn't POST?

[Mar]

Originally posted by Zero102


On a computer that doesn't POST? He didn't say it doesn't POST, he said the screen's black. I was assuming this was in lieu of a graphical desktop.

[Grogador]

Originally posted by Dilmah
Good idea, run it out of the case... However, this all started by me removing the battery and putting the battery back in but I'll try running it again out of the case.

Stranger things happen, I seen em! It could be a screw that fell in, a standoff that shouldn't be there, shorting on the case, or just odd stress on the board from being screwed in. Just giving you some steps to try and narrow this down.

You still haven't given me the model#... have you researched to make sure it's not a known issue? RTFM?

[eblend]

Also try double check all your capasitors for leaks, they will look bulged or have yellow stuff on top. Sometimes these capasitors are hidden behind a CPU heatsink/fan

[Zero102]

Originally posted by Dilmah
and no beeps when I start it up



Originally posted by Mar
He didn't say it doesn't POST


Yeah he did, it made beeps later with some components removed so obviously the PC speaker works. No beep = no POST.

[Dilmah]

I pulled everything out again, except the CPU and RAM and I still get nothing except the fan turning. When I restart the fan will sometimes spin fast, other times slow and sometimes it looks like it wants to start then stops, then starts as if it's not getting the proper amount of power. So maybe the power supply? I put a meter on the power supply output cables and get the same voltage (5.3v) on all the wires except the green (I assume is ground) and a purple wire has 0v.
I've tried restarting many times trying different combinations of drives, RAM, Fans, battery being plugged in and can't get anything. I think I'll either try testing the MB on my other computer or take it to Memory Express and see if they can bench test it for me.

[Grogador]

The yellow wires should be 12v when it is powered on. Try reseating the RAM and CPU, I had the same symptoms once when I bumped a heatsink and my CPU wasn't seated quite right.

Still waiting on that model#

[Zero102]

Originally posted by Dilmah
I pulled everything out again, except the CPU and RAM and I still get nothing except the fan turning. When I restart the fan will sometimes spin fast, other times slow and sometimes it looks like it wants to start then stops, then starts as if it's not getting the proper amount of power. So maybe the power supply? I put a meter on the power supply output cables and get the same voltage (5.3v) on all the wires except the green (I assume is ground) and a purple wire has 0v.
I've tried restarting many times trying different combinations of drives, RAM, Fans, battery being plugged in and can't get anything. I think I'll either try testing the MB on my other computer or take it to Memory Express and see if they can bench test it for me.

Red should be ~5V, yellow should be ~12V, orange should be ~3.3V. I forget the other colors but you should not have 5.3V on all wires.

Green is the wire that gets grounded to turn on the power supply. Connect green to black and it turns on.

[mushi_mushi]

Sounds like your bios/cmos is messed up although there might be other causes. I have an old system where I thoroughly messed up the motherboard, shorted it a few times, and did some other stupid stuff to it. I only mention this because the symptoms are the same. The system would power on, but the screen would remain black, no beeps, no nothing. I reconnected the power cable to the motherboard and made sure all system fans were spinning. After I powered on the system I would also press the power button on the case repeatedly for about 10 seconds, on and off, I give it a minute to boot and if nothing happened I would try it again. Eventually I got the system to boot, but I would be unable to save any of the bios settings. I have no basis for why this might actually work, but it did for me.

[Dilmah]

ga-8s661fxm-775

I confirmed today that all the wires from the power supply have the same 5.19v except the purple and that has 0v. So I'll start by replacing the power supply if the cost is worth it. I've alraedy pulled the hard drives out and put them in my other computer so I have all the data I need off it.

Thanks again for the help.